"The graduate program in economics helped me tremendously in establishing my career as a college professor. The faculty was there for me at every step of my education."  Nevin Cavusoglu '07 Assistant Professor of Economics James Madison University

Students seek graduate training in economics for a number of reasons. Some pursue the M.A. as a terminal degree and become professional economists employed in a variety of business and government settings, including financial-services (banking, investment, and insurance), pharmaceutical companies, consulting, and international organizations such as the World Bank and the World Health Organization. Other students may wish to become professional economists who teach economics at the college level, undertake original research and/or quickly advance to the very highest levels of management in business, government or academia. Students with these career goals continue their graduate studies by earning the Ph.D. degree.

The Department of Economics at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics has two of the most distinctive graduate programs in the country. At the master’s level, we offer a fast-track, ten-month program that provides rigorous training in economic theory and applied statistics, and allows students to pursue applied course work in international finance, environmental and resource economics, health economics, data analysis and information management, and international business. At the doctoral level, our program is one of only a few with a dual emphasis on training first-rate economists and outstanding college teachers. Students learn economic theory and econometrics at the highest level and can pursue course work and receive supervised training in the teaching of economics. Beyond providing rigorous training in economic theory and econometrics, as well as its training in college teaching, the department is known for its emphasis on the history of economic thought and methodology. The graduate programs draw on faculty from the Business, Natural Resources, Health Management and Policy, Philosophy, and Mathematics departments. The Department of Economics maintains an active and high quality weekly research seminar, which attracts leading economists and researchers from around the country.